And the Rogue Unicorn
by StruckkByColfer
Summary: The team head to a small town to investigate recent reports of a mysterious horse that has been attacking people. They soon find themselves on a mission to rescue a young unicorn.
1. The Rogue Unicorn

**Author's Note: This is an idea I've been sitting on for awhile that I finally got the muse to start writing. It'll be a longer story than I'm used to writing, and I'm not sure how regularly I'll be updating but I'll do my best to get at least a chapter up each week.**

It was still early when Jake arrived at the annex that morning. This wasn't unusual. He was often the first one there (aside from Jenkins, of course), always looking for spare time to look through the various art history and other textbooks that the Library had to offer. He looked forward to these early mornings when he pretty much had the place to himself. Jenkins was always around, but he wasn't much of a talker anyways and left Jake to his own devices. The cowboy would sit, books spread out over his workspace, coffee in hand, and just get lost in his own little world.

After about a half hour, still earlier than the LITs were expected to be at work, Cassandra would often stumble in. Like Jake, she felt more at home in the annex and preferred to spend as much of her time there as she could. Sometimes she would take comfort in a book of her own, hiding away in a corner deep in the stacks, away from the two men milling about. Other times she would sit across from Jake, working out equations in her notebook. Sometimes, when the two of them were feeling a bit more talkative in the morning, they would sit side by side, and Jake would share with Cassandra whatever artist he was currently reading about, and the paintings and sculptures that he was enamoured with at the time.

Things always picked up when Baird would show up at a quarter to nine, eager to start the day. Ezekiel would drag his feet through the door at nine o'clock on the dot, and only because he was afraid of what Baird might do to him if he ever showed up late. Secretly, the young thief held a lot of respect for the colonel, though he would never admit it to anyone.

The day had started like any other. Still early, Jake sat quietly looking through his chosen books, the only sound that could be heard was that of Cassandra's pencil scribbling across her notebook.

The peacefulness of the morning was soon broken, however. Unlike other mornings, the clippings book suddenly started shaking, pages flipping rapidly, faster and faster, until they suddenly stopped. The book, now still, sat open, its presence demanding to be read.

Both Jake and Cassandra sat in shock for a moment, looking from the clippings book to each other, then back to the clippings book. The LITs knew enough to know that the strange book only acted like that for the most serious of cases, but they weren't used to something interesting happening so early in the morning.

"What the?" Jake started.

"Should we-" Cassandra spoke at the same time.

The two of them hesitantly stood up and slowly started towards the book when suddenly Jenkins came running in.

"What is it? What happened? The older man exclaimed.

"I don't know. The clippings book just went crazy!" Jake flailed his arms around in an effort to express what had happened.

Jenkins rolled his eyes. "Well yes, I figured that much. But what does the book _say_?" He then muttered something about how the mockery of having a hillbilly as a Librarian, but Jake was too busy reading to hear him.

"Mysterious Horse Attacks Local Man." Jake read the headline out loud before continuing to read the article to himself. He stopped when he reached a certain point and exclaimed "You have got to be kidding me!"

"What is it?" Cassandra asked, pushing closer to Jake and the clippings book.

"See for yourself." he gestured to the book, watching Cassandra's eyes grow wider and wider until she reached the same point of the article that Jake had reached.

"UNICORN!" The redhead shrieked. Jake squinted and rubbed his ringing ear, thinking to himself that he probably should have seen that coming.

Jenkins was now coming over to inspect the book himself. "That's ridiculous, it can't be a unicorn." he muttered.

Cassandra's face fell. "You mean unicorns don't exist?"

"Oh no, they do exist," Jake and Cassandra exchanged eager glances. "but I can't imagine one attacking people. Unicorns are a very shy and peaceful creature. They normally only show themselves to those pure of heart. And even then, seeing one is extremely rare."

Jenkins shook his head as he finished reading the article. "But then again, there's a first time for everything."

Cassandra smiled. "You mean, it is a unicorn!?"

"What's a unicorn?" The three looked up to see Baird enter the annex. She dropped her things off at her desk before joining the others around the clippings book.

"There's a rogue unicorn going around attacking people." Jake said, having a hard time hiding the enthusiasm in his voice.

Baird rolled her eyes. "Of course there is." she slowly shook her head. "That's not the least bit unusual"

"I'm afraid it is, Colonel Baird. And quite unsettling, as well." Jenkins spoke solemnly.

Baird smirked. "For once it's not just me, then."

"So if unicorns are so peaceful, why would this one suddenly be attacking people?" Cassandra asked, looking at Jenkins and hoping he had a theory.

"I can only think of one possibility, but even then this is a long shot." Jenkins started. "Like mothers of any species, a unicorn is very protective of its young. It's possible that if someone has taken this unicorn's foal, she could be trying to get it back."

"But how does that even happen?" Jake asked. "If unicorns only show themselves to people who are pure of heart, how does one end up captured?"

Cassandra nodded along with that. "Someone who is pure of heart wouldn't steal a baby unicorn." she added.

Jenkins nodded, acknowledging their statements, but held up a finger to stop them. "Yes, however, only full grown unicorns know enough to stay hidden from the majority of people. Young unicorns tend to stay by their mother's side for the first several months of their life. Very rarely, however, you might get one that's a bit more adventurous. A young unicorn wouldn't know better and could have found its way to a less than honorable person."

"Poor thing." Cassandra spoke softly. "Lost and confused, separated from those who love him. We have to rescue him!" Jake grinned at how eager Cassandra was to get to the bottom of things. He loved seeing her so excited.

Just then, Ezekiel waltzed into the annex, stopping in the doorway as four pairs of eyes suddenly turned to stare at him.

"No need to rescue me, guys." he said arrogantly. "I'm right here." Baird and Jenkins both rolled their eyes, as Jake rubbed his head and Cassandra just smiled knowingly.

"The attacks have all been happening near a small town in Texas." Jenkins began to brief the team after Ezekiel had been caught up on what he missed. "There are several farms and stables in the area, but the majority of the sightings have been around a ranch called Donahue Acres. The latest victim just happens to be a young man named Sam Donahue, which I doubt is a coincidence."

"Awesome! This will be easy. Jake and Cassandra can distract the hicks and I, the world class thief, will steal back the unicorn baby. Not a problem." Ezekiel said.

"That's not...you can't just…" Jake just shook his head for what had to be the hundredth time since Jones showed up.

"Finding the correct foal might not be quite so simple, Mr. Jones. Depending on how old this little one is, it might not have started growing its horn yet. It could look just like any regular horse foal." Jenkins cut in.

"Well, that's not a problem." Jake spoke up. "What colour are unicorns? Are they all white?"

"White is the most common colour, yes. But it's not the only colour they come in." Jenkins said.

"But the mother, she's white, right? The articles in the clippings book all said that the sightings were of a white horse." Jake continued. "So it's likely the foal is white as well, right?"

Jenkins nodded. "What are you getting at?"

"Regular foals aren't white. Technically, no horse is." Jake grinned, as the others just stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. "It has to do with the pigment of their skin. Those so called white horses you see all of the time are actually grey, because that's the colour of their skin. They're born an entirely different colour, such as chestnut or black, and then they grey out over time. I mean, there are rare colours that look similar to white, a foal could be born one of those. But odds are good that if there's a white foal on that ranch, it's our missing unicorn."

"Well what do you know. It appears having a cowboy as a Librarian actually can prove useful." Jenkins said, turning to Baird. "I suggest you send that one to the ranch to check things out."

Baird nodded. "Agreed. Cassandra, I want you with Stone. Go to the Donahue place and see if anything fishy is going on. Jones and I will head into town and chat up the locals. We'll meet up in about an hour to compare notes."

With that, Jenkins set the coordinates to their destination and the three LITs and their Guardian pushed through the invisible barrier of their magic door, ready to start their investigation.


	2. Donahue Acres

**Author's Note: Thanks everyone for the positive feedback! I hope you enjoy chapter two. Sorry it sort of ends abruptly, sometimes I struggle. xD**

"You know, as much as I love the annex, I sure do miss this sort of place." Jake beamed as he and Cassandra pulled into the laneway at Donahue Acres. The door Jenkins had sent the team through had landed them in a cafe right in the middle of town. Jake and Cassandra had then rented a truck and drove out to the ranch.

"Did you grow up on a ranch like this?" Cassandra asked.

Jake shook his head. "Nah. We lived in a rural area, but we didn't have much property ourselves. My uncle did, though. And I spent every summer from the time I could walk at his place. Ridin' horses, herdin' cattle, even baling hay, I miss it all."

Cassandra smiled and looked out the window. "I always wanted a pony, but my parents wouldn't let me." She turned her attention back to Jake, who had put the truck in park and was unbuckling his seat belt. "They thought it would be a waste of time."

Jake couldn't help but feel bad for Cassandra. The more he got to know her the more he realized just how much she had missed out on growing up. And with that tumour, she only had limited time to catch up. He was about to say something to her when her attention shifted from him, to the young man emerging from the nearby barn. His left arm was wrapped in a cast and held in a sling, and his right hand held the lead rope of a chestnut Quarter Horse.

"How much do you want to bet that that's Sam Donahue?" Cassandra asked.

"Let's go find out." Jake opened his door and stepped out of the truck, Cassandra following close behind him.

The man was about to turn the horse out in a nearby paddock as Jake and Cassandra reached him.

"You want some help?" Jake asked, holding the gate open for the man who was struggling with just one good arm.

"Thank you." Sam said, walking through the gate and sliding the halter off over horse's head. Once the gate was latched he turned to the two LITs. "Can I help you folks?" he asked with a smile.

"Possibly. We're… well we're the Librarians." Jake started, unsure as to whether or not that excuse would still work. But Sam nodded with recognition at the word "Librarians" and didn't seem the least bit surprised.

"Are you Sam Donahue?" Cassandra asked.

"Yes ma'am, I am."

"We're here looking into that story about that…" Jake started.

"Hey, listen. I know it sounds crazy but I know what I saw and that thing wasn't no normal horse." Sam cut in.

"It's okay, Sam. We're not here to judge you." Cassandra said.

"Everyone around here thinks I've gone insane, but I know what I saw!"

Jake folded his arms across his chest. "And what is that, exactly?" He asked curiously.

Sam shook his head, eyes trained on the ground. "I mean, I know it _sounds_ crazy. But that thing had a horn stickin' out of its head. If I didn't know better I'd say it was a unicorn." Slowly the man raised his gaze to meet that of the two Librarians in front of him, waiting for the laughter or insults to start. But both Jake and Cassandra just watched him with understanding expressions. "You guys gonna say anything?"

"Where were you when this happened?" Jake asked.

"Out on one of the trails with Rocky here." he gestured toward the horse that he had just turned out. "The thing came out of nowhere and charged us. Startled poor Rocky half to death. I grew up in the saddle, normally I can sit to anything, but it took me by surprised so when Rocky spooked I was unseated and ended up on the ground. He took off, but this other...horse, whatever it was, it reared up at me, landed on my arm. I was lucky. That thing was vicious, things could have ended up much worse."

"Are there a lot of wild horses around here?" Cassandra asked innocently as the two men just stared at her. Jake chuckled at her and Sam just shook his head.

"Not out here, ma'am. Not these days. You're not a horse person, are you?"

Cassandra blushed and smiled. "That obvious?"

Jake leaned over and whispered in Cassandra's ear. "Most people don't wear tights and a skirt to a horse ranch." She elbowed him playfully.

"I don't suppose you could take us out to that spot later today? We don't have time right now, we're meeting a couple of our colleagues soon, but going out to the location where you saw this horse, it would really help our... research." Jake asked.

Sam nodded. "That can be arranged, sure." He glanced over at Cassandra. "We'll have to take horses out there, though. You gonna be able to handle yourself?" Sam asked the question innocently enough. He didn't mean it in a derogatory way, but was simply curious if Cassandra felt comfortable getting on a horse.

The redhead nodded, her smile too big to contain. "I've never been on a horse before, but I'm more than willing to give it a go."

Jake and Cassandra had just started to head back to the truck when a stray thought occurred to Jake. He stopped and turned back towards Sam. "Hey, nothing around here has changed recently, has it?"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

Jake shrugged. "Just, any new stablehands start working here recently? Any new horses come in? New foals born?"

"Well, my dad brought home a few new weanlings a couple weeks ago from the Carson sale. But he does that every year."

"Weanlings, huh?" Jake repeated. "Anything special about them?"

Sam shrugged. "To be honest, I haven't paid much attention to them. Until this thing with my arm happened I was too preoccupied with the haying that I haven't had time to so much look at the new guys. Why?"

Jake shrugged. "No reason. We'll be back this afternoon. Thanks." He waved and continued back to the truck with Cassandra.

Sam waved back. "See you. Wear jeans!" He added to Cassandra in particular.

Back in the truck, Jake started the engine and headed back towards town, trying to piece together everything they had learned.

"Do you think Sam is hiding anything?" Cassandra asked.

"Hard to say. I wouldn't mind chatting with his dad, I definitely think he's involved somehow. But Sam. He might just be an innocent victim. But then again, maybe not." Jake was thinking out loud.

Baird and Jones were waiting for them back at the annex with Jenkins.

"I hope you guys found out more than we did, mate, 'cause we got squat." Ezekiel said when Jake and Cassandra stumbled through the door.

"Not squat." Baird corrected. "Just nothing all that useful. There have been a few town drunks that have claimed to see a unicorn running around, but no one takes them seriously. Until that Sam Donahue was attacked, no one worth listening to had seen anything, so now the entire town is convinced Sam is losing it."

Jake nodded. "We picked up on that."

"We're convinced Sam's dad knows something, but we're pretty sure Sam is innocent." Cassandra added.

Jake shook his head. "When did we decide that? We don't know a thing. Sam could know a lot more than he's saying." he turned his attention back to the others. "Cassandra and I are heading back out there this afternoon. Sam's gonna take us out to the spot where he saw the unicorn. Cassandra just has to change into something she can ride in." He smirked.

"Do you really think he's hiding something?" Cassandra asked defensively. "I'm pretty sure he's innocent."

"We can't jump to any conclusions this early on." Baird cut in. "You guys go back, talk to Sam some more, and see if you can find his dad."

"What will you guys do?" Jake asked.

"Go home? Sleep?" Jones asked hopefully.

"Well, now that we know something suspicious is going on at the Donahue place, we at least have some better questions to ask people." Baird answered. "We'll try and find out what the locals _really_ think of these people."

"You sure that'll work? I grew up in a place like this. These kinds of people, they'll bad mouth each other to their own kind, but they'll have each others backs when it comes to outsiders. How do you know they'll talk to you?" Jake didn't think it was going to work.

"Don't worry about me." Baird said. "I'm a woman. I'll just play to my strengths." Jake really didn't have a comeback to that. He remembered back to the day when he first saw Lamia walk into his old hangout. Before he knew she was evil, he would have sold out his best friend for the chance to take her home. Baird might be on to something...


	3. The Chase

**Author's Note: I based the horses that Jake and Cassandra ride off of two of my own horses, partly because it was easier for me to write it that way but also because I figured Leverage fans would get a kick out of my gelding's name. Also, the stunt Jake pulls to avoid the tree branch is something that actually happened to me.**

That afternoon Jake once again found himself alone in the annex. Baird and Jones had headed back to the small, Texan town to see what else they could come up with. Jenkins was around here...somewhere. And Cassandra had returned back to her apartment quickly to change before they went back to Donahue Acres. He took advantage of this quiet time to finish up the reading he had been interrupted from that morning.

He had just finished his chapter when Jake heard footsteps behind him. He turned his head and saw Cassandra walking through the doorway wearing jeans and a red, plaid button up, her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. He realized that he must have been staring because Cassie stopped and looked herself over.

"What? Is this stupid? Do I look like a tourist or something?" She asked self consciously.

Jake smiled and shook his head. "No, not at all." He laughed. "It's just, I ain't never seen you wear pants is all."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess you haven't." She smiled back at him, hesitating for a second. "Jake... do you really think Sam could be behind this? He seemed so nice."

"I don't know, It's too early to tell." He paused, taking a few steps closer to her. "Cassie, you're just so damn trusting of everybody, and as admirable as that is, you're going to have to be more careful in a job like this."

"Be more like you, you mean?" Cassandra asked quietly. "You don't even trust me, let alone a perfect stranger."

"That's not what I meant, Cass." Jake shook his head, trying to recollect his thoughts. He didn't want to have that conversation again. "I have my own issues to work out. Issues that don't have anything to do with you and I'm sorry I ever tried to drag you into them."

Cassandra's eyes dropped to the ground, she looked as though she was trying not to cry. Jake wanted to stand closer, to run his hand along her cheek, to kiss her away any tears that might fall. But he couldn't. Not right now, it wouldn't be right. Instead he stood awkwardly, an arm's length away, trying to find the right words that would get his message across without making him sound like the ass that he knew he was.

"Cassandra, I wish I could be more like you. I wish I could just look at someone and see all that's good about them. I just worry about you, is all." He cautiously took a step closer, gently placing a hand on her arm. "I'd hate for something to happen to you again. Remember last time?"

She nodded, finally looking up to meet his gaze and forcing a small smile. "Yeah…I'm sorry, Jake. I didn't mean to bring all this up again."

"No need to apologize." He turned to the portal door, holding it open for Cassandra. "Now, let's go ride us some horses!"

* * *

They arrived at the ranch to find two horses saddled and tied to a hitching post. Sam Donahue was walking out of the barn with a third, Rocky, all tacked up and ready to go. He smiled at the two Librarians as they got out of their truck.

"You guys all set?" He asked. Jake nodded, but Cassandra eyed him curiously.

"Are you okay to ride with your arm like that?" She asked.

Sam just laughed and shrugged it off. "This? This is nothing! It takes a lot worse than a cast to keep a good cowboy down."

He walked them over to the hitching post and introduced them to the horses they would be riding that afternoon. Jake's mount was a chestnut Appaloosa gelding, somewhat short but with a thick build. Cassandra was given a flaxen chestnut pony mare with a thick, long mane and tail.

"She's actually my niece's horse, but she won't mind sharing for the day. Savvy here is the most gentle, easiest horse we have to ride." Sam said, handing Cassandra the reins and turning to Jake.

"Elliott here is a bit more stubborn, but I think you can handle him."

Jake laughed. "Elliott! Great name." He patted the horse on the neck.

Cassandra stood awkwardly next to her mare. "So… how do I get up there?"

Both men laughed, and Jake couldn't help but think how adorable Cassie looked. Her mount couldn't have been more than 14 hands high, easy enough to mount from the ground. Hell, Jake was pretty sure he could have swung a leg over the little mare bareback and still gotten on gracefully. He left his horse at the hitching post and went to help Cassandra.

"Just bend your knee like so," he showed her with his own leg. "and on the count of three jump and I'll give you a boost." She did as Jake demonstrated and he gently cradled her shin in his hands. On the count of three he boosted her into the saddle,

"Wow, okay. This is kind of high up!" She exclaimed.

Jake just chuckled, mounting Elliott effortlessly from the ground. "Sure thing, shorty." he said, riding past her on his slightly taller horse.

Sam lead the way out behind the barn to an open field where they were able to ride side by side. Jake kept a close eye on Cassie out of the corner of his eye, but she seemed to be doing just fine. He smiled, of course she'd be a natural on a horse. Was there anything she wasn't good at? Well, besides Cockney rhyming slang.

Still, he worried. After their conversation earlier he didn't want to start a fight by bringing it up, but he was afraid of what might happen should she have one of her episodes while riding. The horse she was on seemed solid enough, as well as short so that if Cassie fell, she didn't have far to go. But despite everything, Jake couldn't help but worry.

"The trail starts to get narrow up ahead," Sam's voice snapped Jake from his thoughts. "so we'll have to ride single file. I'll go first, Cassandra you stay behind me. Just don't get too close. Jake, you bring up the rear." The two Librarians nodded their understanding as they filtered in behind the cowboy.

Jake was really enjoying being back on a horse again. Even though they hadn't gone faster than a walk, he felt at home again as soon as he was in the saddle. His family life had always been complicated, but those summers at his uncle's ranch were the only time he felt like he could be himself. Until he found the Library, of course. And though he loved the Library, and though he in no way wanted to trade the life he was currently living, sometimes he wished that the Librarians weren't stationed in such a big city. Jake was a country boy at heart.

He had settled into a rhythm, taking in the scenery and enjoying the steady gait of his horse, laughing occasionally as Cassandra would turn around in the saddle and beam at him. At one point when she looked at him she mouthed "I'm riding a horse!" and he couldn't help but notice how adorable she was. Everything was exciting to her. Horses, Christmas, even God damn science fairs! He really did envy her outlook on life.

They were reaching a clearing now, and Jake trotted his horse a few strides to catch up with Cassandra, riding beside her again.

"How ya doing?" He asked.

"Great! Isn't this fun?" She smiled at him.

Ahead of them Sam stopped his horse and turned to face the Librarians. "This is it, this is where I saw that horse."

Jake and Cassandra looked around, not entirely sure what they were looking for. They hadn't really expected to find the unicorn.

"It all happened so quickly, so I don't know where it came from," Sam started. "but after it attacked me it took off in that direction." He pointed to the woods on their left side.

"Anything out that way?" Jake asked.

Sam shook his head. "Not really. There's a trail that leads through it at first, but the trees just get thicker and thicker. I don't know where it could have disappeared to."

It happened in an instant, but to Jake everything seemed to be in slow motion. One second they were sitting on their horses, taking in the scenery, and the next all three of their mounts seemed to go crazy. It was hard to see who started it, or what set them off. He saw Rocky rear up, Sam desperately trying to regain control with just one arm. Eventually the horse reared a bit too far, falling backwards before quickly scrambling up and leaving Sam in a heap on the ground.

But all of that was background noise compared to Cassandra's high pitched scream as Jake watched in terror as her little mare took off deep into the trees, Cassie holding on for dear life. Jake was barely able to maintain control of his own horse, but he was able to hold him long enough to call out to Sam.

"I'm okay," The young cowboy grumbled, trying to sit up. "Go after her, I'll be fine."

Jake didn't look back to see if Sam was actually as okay as he claimed. He loosened his grip on the reins and took off like a speeding bullet after Cassandra. He couldn't see her, but Jake knew that a panicked horse was most likely to run straight ahead.

Wind whipped past him with every stride, irritating his eyes but he didn't care. Eventually the trail ended and Elliott started to slow down, but Jake pushed him on. The trees were getting thicker and a few branches scraped the top of the Librarian's head but he ignoring the stinging pain and kept running.

"Shit." Jake was galloping at full speed through the woods. There was no way he would be able to get his horse stopped or turned fast enough, but he could see up ahead and coming at him very quickly was a tree with a low hanging branch. His horse wouldn't know to avoid it, Elliott was short enough to zip right under it. But Jake, sitting deep on the horse's back, would be knocked off if he didn't act fast.

Jake leaned forward, arms wrapping around the horse's neck. He was still too high, though. At this rate the branch would scrap his back, it would hurt like hell and still possibly knock him off. Thinking quickly, Jake effortlessly kicked his feet out of the stirrups and slid down the side of the horse's back. He used his arms and legs to hold himself as he clung to the side of the horse, the two of them barrelling under the branch, and then used his grip on the horse's neck to push himself back into the saddle. It took him a second to get his bearings back but when he did he suddenly caught sight of a blonde mane in the distance.

"Whoa, boy." Jake leaned back, pulling on the reins harder than he knew he should. He was too desperate to stop to care about how proper his technique was. He needed to see if Cassie was nearby. He didn't even wait for the horse to come to a complete stop before calling out her name.

"Jake!" He heard her call back, his heart slowing down to a normal pace. He released a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding.

She was on the ground, but he didn't think she was hurt. She stood next to Savvy, the little mare now perfectly content, grazing on a few wisps of grass. Jake dismounted and walked over to her.

"Cassie!" He repeated. "Are you hurt? Did you fall off?"

"Shhh." She didn't even look in his direction as she shushed him, her eyes glued to something in the distance. "Look, Jake." She whispered.

Jake turned, trying to see what she saw. He searched the distance, unable to see until…

"Is that?" He asked, Cassandra just nodding her response. "It's so…"

"It's beautiful." Cassandra finished his sentence for him.

The unicorn had a slender body and a dished face, with a mane and tail longer and thicker than any horse Jake had ever seen. A long, cream coloured horn peeked out of its forelock. But the thing that was most gorgeous, Jake noticed, was how perfectly white the creature was. Pure white, so white that it reflected the sun and caused little rainbows to appear on the ground around it.

The unicorn seemed oblivious to its observers. It grazed as peacefully as the two domesticated horses that they had with them were doing. Jake wasn't even sure if it was aware of their presence until Cassie spoke up.

"Jake, can you hear it?" She asked him softly.

He shook his head, slightly confused.

"I think…" Cassandra whispered. "I think she's talking to me."

For the first time since laying eyes on it, Jake turned away from the unicorn. "What do you mean? I don't hear anything"

"No. It's in my head, like my own thoughts. But they aren't my thoughts." Cassie turned to him. "I know it sounds crazy, Jake, but I think the unicorn is communicating to me psychically. She's asking for our help."

Jake turned his attention back to the unicorn, trying to make sense of what Cassie was saying. It did sound crazy. But then again, everything that had happened to him since finding out about the Library sounded crazy. And actually, a real live unicorn communicating its thoughts to Cassandra probably wasn't as crazy as some of the things he had seen thus far. He smiled. Of course it would pick Cassie to talk to.

"No, Cass. That doesn't sound crazy at all." He whispered after a few minutes.


	4. Jealousy

**Author's Note: Thank you everyone for your positive feedback and encouragement! It means a lot to me, and I'm so glad people are enjoying this story. I've been able to write a lot more often than I thought I would this week, and I'm hoping I'll be able to keep that up but if the updates start to slow down a little don't worry, I have every intention to finish this story and already have an idea for a sequel.**

It was hard to tear themselves away from the magical creature they were staring at, but Jake and Cassandra knew that they couldn't stay forever. Eventually they began to head back to the clearing. Because the trees were so thick, they started back on foot, leading their horses beside them.

"What do you think spooked the horses?" Cassandra asked Jake. "Do you think they knew the unicorn was around? I didn't see anything before."

"Horses are sensitive creatures, Cassie." Jake explained. "They're more in tune to their senses than even you are. Sometimes it seems like they're spooking at nothing, but there's always something."

"That was really scary." Cassandra admitted a little sheepishly.

Jake nodded. "Yeah, you had me worried there for a bit. Honestly, I'm impressed you managed to stay on for all that. You're a natural cowgirl, Cass." She couldn't help but smile at the compliment.

"So now what? We can't trust Sam." Cassandra started. "You were right. The unicorn didn't attack us, but it attacked Sam before. It must know something we don't."

Jake thought for a moment. "I don't know. But we need to get a look at those weanlings. I bet you anything our missing foal is one of them."

Cassandra nodded, a sly smile creeping onto her face. "I just thought of something. I don't know, but it might work."

"What?"

"You'll see…" Was all she said.

* * *

When they finally reached the clearing Sam was sitting with his back against a large tree. When he saw the Librarians approaching he waved and very slowly got to his feet, wincing in visible pain.

"I'll be fine." He said, noticing the worried look on Cassandra. "I'm badly bruised, but I'll be fine."

Jake helped Cassandra back on her horse, and offered Sam help as well, but the young cowboy proudly refused.

"You certainly surprised me, Cassandra." Sam said after he had painfully pulled himself into the saddle. "You looked like a pro galloping off like that."

Cassie smiled shyly. "I wish I could say I felt as confident as everyone seems to think I looked."

"So did you guys see anything out there?" Sam asked.

Jake and Cassandra exchanged a quick glance before answering. They had both decided earlier that they wouldn't tell Sam about the unicorn.

"Nah." Jake responded nonchalantly. "But it sure is pretty out that way."

"Yes sir, we're definitely lucky to have such beautiful trails out here."

They rode back in silence the rest of the way. When they returned to the barn Jake offered to take care of the horses since Sam was in so much pain. The cowboy was just about to deny Jake's help, not wanting to show weakness around his guests, when Cassandra interrupted.

"You know, Sam, I was wondering if you could take me out to look at those weanlings?" She asked in her girliest voice, flipping her hair behind her ear and shyly biting her lip. "I've never seen a baby horse before.

Jake watched in shock. Was she _flirting_ with him? He remembered back to what Baird had said earlier. He had found the thought of Baird flirting with the locals to be kind of amusing. Why did it bother him so much that Cassie was doing the same thing?

"_You know why." _He thought to himself, quickly shaking that from his brain. No, that couldn't be it. He was just being stupid. Still, he should find a way to go look at those weanlings with them…

"If you guys don't mind waiting a couple minutes, I'd kind of like to check out the youngsters myself." He called out as he started undoing Rocky's cinch. "Guys?"

Jake turned around just in time to see Cassandra and Sam head off behind the main barn, headed to the area the weanlings were being kept.

"Well that's just great." He muttered to himself, his attention turning back to the horses he was supposed to be looking after. "I'm the horse guy. I should be looking at those weanlings. _Me!_"

He had just finished putting the horses away when Sam and Cassandra returned to the main barn, both laughing and smiling like they were old friends.

Jake raised his eyebrows at Cassandra as she approached him, but he didn't say anything.

"You ready to go?" She asked him. Jake nodded and the two of them started back to the truck.

"Cassandra, wait!" Sam called out as they turned to leave. Jake hesitated, his hand hovering over the truck door's handle. He opened it, but didn't climb in. Instead he strained to hear what was being said behind him without looking too obvious.

"I was just wondering how long you guys were going to be in town for." Sam asked.

"I'm not really sure yet. Why?" Jake heard Cassandra reply. He could see them from his rearview mirror. Cassie's back was to him, but he could see Sam's sudden shyness and awkwardness.

"Well, it's just that our family hosts this big country dance every year. It's great, the whole town comes out." Jake rolled his eyes. "Anyways, it's this Friday, and I know I won't be much of a dancin' partner with my arm like this, but I was wondering if you wanted to be my date?"

Jake couldn't see Cassie's face, but he could picture it. She was probably glancing shyly at the ground, trying to find the most polite way to turn down Sam's offer without hurting his feelings. She was too damn nice.

"Sure, Sam. I'd love to." Jake's eyes widened. He must have heard that wrong.

Sam looked over Cassandra's shoulder and noticed Jake still standing there. "You can come too, Jake. And bring your colleagues. Everyone is welcome." Jake tried to fake a smile but it came out as more of a grimace.

"The hell, Cassandra?" Jake asked once they were back on the road. They were supposed to meet Baird and Ezekiel at a local bar to compare notes. "You're dating the suspect now?"

"Not dating, Jake. Date. Singular." Cassandra corrected. "We need to get to the bottom of this, and this seemed as good a way as any."

"Bottom of this? How do you know we'll even still be around on Friday?" Jake snapped. "You found out where the weanlings were, right? Jones and I can come back in the night and rescue the unicorn. We can be done with this case by the morning." He didn't mean to sound so frustrated but he couldn't help it.

"It's not there, Jake!" Cassie yelled back. "The unicorn isn't there."

"Wait, what?"

"But I'm glad to see that you remember what's so important about this case. Maybe you should focus more energy on that as opposed to who I choose to date." Cassandra spoke quickly with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "It's not even a real date."

But Jake was over that, for now at least. "What do you mean it's not there?"

"Four weanlings, none of them white. There was a blonde, a black, and two of those chocolate brown coloured ones." The annoyance hadn't left her tone.

Jake couldn't help but smile at how Cassie described the colours, but that quickly turned into a frown when he realized that they were right back at square one.

* * *

"I still don't like it, Cassandra." Jake mumbled bitterly as he slid into the booth next to Baird and signaled to the bartender to bring over a couple beers. Cassandra slid into the seat across from him, next to Ezekiel.

"What don't you like?" Ezekiel asked.

"She's going on a date with the damn suspect!" Jake gestured at Cassandra wildly with his arms like he tended to do when he was upset, almost knocking over the bottle that the waitress was setting on the table in front of him. Cassie rolled her eyes at him and politely smiled her thanks for the beer that was brought to her.

"Good for you!" Baird exclaimed, holding up her own beer for Cassie to clink hers against in a celebratory manner. "At least one of us has a lead."

"Good for... _good_ for her?" Jake scoffed. "She's dating the suspect!"

"Date, Jake. Date! Not dating. Learn the difference." Cassandra was tired of correcting him. "And if you're so worried about me, why don't you just come? He invited all of us!"

"Oh, I'll be there." Jake took a sip of his beer. "Someone has to keep an eye on you. Hey, why don't we bring Baird and she can flirt with Sam's dad."

"_Dad!?_" Baird exclaimed a little louder than she intended. "You want me to hit on the dad? How old do you guys think I am?"

"And hey, does Sam have a sister, because then I could flirt with her." Jake spoke sarcastically.

"No sister, but he has a brother, and you're more than welcome to be his date if you'd like." Cassandra's tone matched Jake's.

"Wait, he has a brother?" Baird asked. "He has a brother and you guys still pair me with the dad?"

"I don't like this, Cassandra!" Jake and Cassie continued their bickering, paying no attention to Baird and Ezekiel sitting next to them. The thief and the guardian sat in silence, exchanging both amused and annoyed glances for several minutes until they had finally had enough.

"Guys _please!_" Baird finally cut in, speaking loudly and with enough authority that it caused both Jake and Cassandra to stop their argument and look at her.

Ezekiel just smiled. "For once I'm not the one getting on Baird's last nerve."

Baird shot him a look and then turned her attention back to the other two. "One at a time. Cassandra, tell me about this date." Jake rolled his eyes and took another chug of his beer to keep himself from muttering.

"It's a dance that the Donahues host at their place every year. The entire town goes."

"Seriously, Jake?" Ezekiel said. "You don't want her to go to that? It'll be the perfect time to snoop around their place."

Jake shrugged. "I just don't trust the guy, is all."

"Sorry Jake, but Jones is right. This sounds perfect." Baird said. "Cassandra will be fine. We'll all go, just to be safe."

"Not that I need you guys there." Cassandra cut in. "I can take care of myself."

Baird turned to Jake. "Why are you suddenly so sure Sam is our guy? This afternoon you weren't so sure."

At that, Jake and Cassandra exchanged excited glances, suddenly forgetting their recent argument and full of excitement regarding that afternoon's events. They immediately launched into a play by play of what had happened, mostly focusing on the unicorn that they saw and how it had spoken to Cassie. Jake made sure to remind everyone how this was the same unicorn that had attacked Sam, and that if the unicorn didn't trust the guy then neither did he.

The team decided to call it a night and as they started to get up Baird gently grabbed Jake's arm in an effort to stop him. She waited until Cassandra and Jones were both out of earshot before talking.

"What was that all about?" Baird eyed him suspiciously. Jake just gave her a look like he didn't quite understand the question. "Stone, you know Cassandra can handle herself in the field."

Jake nodded. "I know that. Cassandra's tougher than she looks."

"Then why are you so upset about this dance?" Baird asked, already knowing the answer but unsure if Jake did.

"I toldja. I just don't trust the guy."

Baird raised an eyebrow at him. "And that's it?" She released Jake's arm when he nodded. "Whatever." Baird mumbled, entirely unconvinced.


	5. Missing

Jake glanced at the old clock Jenkins kept on the annex wall, a worried look on his face. It was twenty to nine, almost time for Baird to show up, but Cassandra had yet to arrive. The redhead almost never came in later than eight in the morning, sometimes she even came in earlier.

He tried to conceal his worry, but when Baird showed up five minutes later, setting her things on her desk and wishing Jake a good morning, he felt like he was going to explode.

"Cassandra's not here yet." He blurted. "Do you think something's wrong?"

Jake stared at Baird in disbelief as she just laughed at his worry. "No, she's fine. She texted me to say she might be late this morning."

"What? She texted _you?_" Jake asked, rubbing his temples. "She knows I'm always the first one here, she should have let me know so I wouldn't worry."

"Did it occur to you that after how you acted last night that she might not want to talk to you?"

"No." Jake paused, letting Baird's words sink in. "Wait, how was I actin'?"

"Like an ass." Cassandra's voice rang from the doorway. Jake turned around to see her standing there next to Jones, who was nodding in agreement.

"I was not...I mean, I wasn't, I just don't..." Jake stumbled over his words, eventually throwing his hands up in defeat as the others just stared at him, amused expressions on their faces. "Fine, whatever." He buried his face back into the book he had been reading that morning. (Or rather, trying to read. In reality he had just been staring at the pages while worrying about where Cassandra was.)

Jake kept his head down, but his eyes wandered to follow Cassandra who was slowly walking over to her own work station, across from Jake's. He chuckled when he noticed her wince, suddenly realizing why she had been so late.

"You're sore." He leaned across his desk and whispered to her after she sat down. Her face turned as red as her hair.

"Am not." Cassandra denied.

"I should have known." Jake smiled, thinking about how adorable his fellow Librarian was when she was embarrassed. "It's normal to be sore your first few times on a horse, you're using muscles you didn't even know you had. And after the ride you had yesterday, I can only imagine how much that must hurt."

Cassandra looked up at him, a sheepish smile spread across her face. "Really?"

Jake nodded, and waited for her to say something else. But instead, Cassandra turned her attention to her backpack, pulling out her notebook and digging around for a pen. She seemed to be going out of her way to avoid looking at Jake. He sighed, realizing what was going on.

"Cassie, I'm sorry about last night." For a brief second Jake thought he saw her eyeballs glance in his direction, though her head stayed focused on task. "It's a good plan, getting close to Sam. Your...your plan is good."

Cassandra hesitated for a moment but then turned her full attention to Jake. "Do you really think it's good? Or are you just saying that because you know it's what I want to hear?"

"It's what I would have done." He cocked his head to the side. "I mean, if Sam was a woman." Cassandra giggled, causing Jake to feel warm inside. He liked it when Cassandra laughed, but he loved it even more when he was the reason for it. "I shouldn't have given you such a hard time. If Sam's our guy, I know you can handle yourself around him."

"Thanks, Jake," Cassandra said earnestly. "And I'm sorry, too. I didn't have to be such a jerk back to you."

Jake shook his head and grinned. "No need to apologize, darlin'. Let's just put this behind us."

* * *

The next couple of days were spent preparing for the dance. Although Cassandra was technically going as Sam's date (a fact that, although he had stopped verbalizing, Jake still wasn't happy about), the team knew that they had work to do. While Cassandra was to find out as much as she could from Sam, the other two Librarians and their guardian planned to focus on his father. Jake was also hoping to sneak into the second barn so that he could get a good look at the weanlings. It wasn't that he didn't believe Cassie, but he just needed to see for himself that the unicorn wasn't there. Maybe he would notice something that she didn't?

Jake tried to stay positive. He couldn't understand why he was so uncomfortable about the idea of Cassandra spending time with Sam. It was just for the case, and even if it wasn't why should that matter to him? Although he continued to tell himself that he was just worried that something could happen to Cassandra, a part of him knew that wasn't true; she was one of the toughest members of the team and Jake was always the first person to admit that. He kept his feelings to himself, however, because the last thing he wanted was for his best friend to be annoyed at him again.

Still, when Friday finally came around, there was no denying that Jacob Stone was in a bad mood.

"Smile, mate." Ezekiel was in his usual chipper mood that day. "How do you expect to gain the locals' trust when you look like you want to punch someone?"

"I just wish this damn case was over already." Jake grumbled, while simultaneously thinking that punching someone (someone very specific) didn't sound half bad.

"I thought you were excited about this one." Jones shrugged. "At least, that's the impression I got at the beginning of the week when you were prancing around here, blabbing about horses and country living."

"pr..._prancing_? I do not prance!"

"Hey, I just call it as I see it," Ezekiel took a step back, his hands held up in a sign of defeat. "And now you _really_ look like you want to punch someone."

"Ya think!?" Jake sighed and turned away from the young thief. It wasn't that Jake didn't like Jones, but the kid really knew how to get under his skin.

Blinded by his frustration, Jake almost ran straight into Cassandra who had just come into the annex and had been walking by as Jake was turning away from Ezekiel.

"Whoa, sorry Cass-" Jake's mind suddenly went blank at the sight of his fellow Librarian. "_Don't be ridiculous!"_ he thought to himself. "_She looks how she always looks."_

It was true, her outfit wasn't out of line of her usual Cassieness. She had opted for a flowery sundress, but had paired it with a denim jacket and cowboy boots. Cassie with a hint of country. "_Are you staring? Stop staring. Say something dammit."_

"You look…Cassie, you look great," he managed to choke out. "_Smooth."_

If he was making a fool of himself, Cassandra didn't notice. Instead she smiled shyly and thanked him. "You look nice, too."

Lucky for Jake, who was once again at a loss for words, Baird chose that moment to come bounding into the annex, with her get-go attitude and ready to take charge.

"Let's go, guys," she marched past Jake and Cassandra, oblivious to how close they were standing only because it was normal for them to stand that close, and opened the portal door. "We're burning daylight here, guys."

Jake smiled awkwardly at Cassandra, stepping aside to let her pass him and enter the portal first. He sighed, watching her follow Baird and Ezekiel through the invisible barrier. He didn't understand what was going on that was suddenly causing all this weirdness and tension between them, but he just wanted to get this case over with so that hopefully things could go back to normal.

* * *

Jake sat awkwardly at a table that had been set up on the edge of one of the Donahue's fields, where the party was taking place. He sipped the beer he held and watched (or rather, glared) at the couples dancing in the centre of the field. Cassandra and Sam were in the middle of the action, and damn that Sam was a surprisingly good dancer, particularly for someone with a busted arm and bruised ribs. Jake took another sip of his beer as he tried to convince himself that the look of happiness on Cassie's face was all just part of the act.

"But he insisted on looking anyways, no matter how hard I tried to stop him," the blonde woman beside Jake rambled on. He couldn't remember her name, or how she knew the Donahue's, or even how he ended up talking to her.

"You don't say?" his attention remained fixed straight ahead, focused on the dancers.

"Did you want to dance?" the woman beside him finally noticed where Jake's attention had been all night, though she seemed oblivious that he really wasn't interested in her.

"You know what?" Jake started. "I think I do. Here, watch my beer." He set the bottle down and got up, marching with intent to the two people he had been watching all evening and leaving the blonde woman alone and confused.

He was halfway across the field when someone else beat Jake to the punch. A man he had never seen before approached Cassandra and Sam, talked briefly to them both before taking Cassandra's hand and dancing with her. "_The hell?"_ Jake thought.

Sam had turned around, walking away and leaving Cassandra with the stranger. His face lit up when he saw Jake.

"Hey man, glad you could make it!" Sam greeted. "That Cassandra, she's a hell of a dancer, isn't she?"

Jake ignored that comment, too focused on who the newcomer was. "Who's that?" he grumbled.

"Oh, that's just Shane, my brother. He always has to dance with all the pretty girls." Sam rolled his eyes, but didn't seem upset. Jake sighed, planning to just walk away. He really didn't want to talk to Sam. But before he had a chance to get away they were approached by an older man.

"Jake, have you met my father yet?" Jake's interest suddenly peaked. He was supposed to be gathering information on this case, not stalking on Cassandra.

"No, I haven't" Jake turned to Sam's father and offered his hand. "Jacob Stone, sir."

"Roger Donahue" the older man smiled and shook Jake's hand. "My son here speaks very highly of you, and your friend."

Jake tried not to grimace at that comment, looking away from Roger's face when he realized that wasn't possible. Sam, who was trying not to show how sore he really was after the couple of weeks he had been having, excused himself to go sit down, leaving Jake alone with his father.

"Sam says your uncle has a ranch?" Roger started with the small talk. Jake nodded politely, suddenly wishing he still had his beer.

"Yes, sir. All the best memories I have of my childhood took place there." His brain worked quickly, trying to find a way to shape the conversation in a way that would benefit him. "Cassandra wasn't as lucky, though. This week was her first experience with horses. Sam took her up to see those weanlings you bought. She really enjoyed that."

"Yes, he mentioned that." Jake studied Roger carefully to see if the mention of the weanlings caused some sort of strange reaction from him, but he seemed unphased. "I don't normally buy so many at once, but I just couldn't resist this time."

Jake nodded. "Oh yeah. Sometimes you see one so special, ya just gotta have it, huh?"

"That's usually how it goes, isn't it? I had already bought the other two when I saw the palomino. Reminded me of a horse I had as a kid, I couldn't help myself."

"Yeah, a likely stor-" Jake stopped suddenly, trying to recall what Cassandra had said the other day. "Wait, what?"

"The first horse I ever raised was-" Roger started, wistfully.

"No, not that. How many weanlings did you buy?"

"Three. Like I said, I know it's a lot to take on at once, what with everything else we have to do, and especially since it's just the boys and I runnin' things now, but-" Jake had stopped paying attention as the older man droned on. How many weanlings had Cassandra said there were? Four? But Roger seemed totally unaware of a fourth one.

Jake needed to find Cassie. Turning his attention back to the field he scanned the area, looking for any sign of the redhead or the older Donahue brother. But Jake couldn't see them anywhere. Trying not to panic, he mumbled an excuse to leave Roger and sought out Baird.

"Have you seen Cassie!?" he found the guardian standing off to the side, her eyes fixed on Jones who was a few feet away talking to a small group of people.

"Just a sec," Baird brushed off Jake, attention still on her other charge. "Jones, give it back!" she called out. Ezekiel pouted, but returned the wallet he appeared to be holding just as smoothly as he had pickpocketed it.

"Baird, this is important!" Jake snapped. "Cassie's gone!"

"Gone?" A voice came out from behind him. Jake turned angrily, Sam was standing innocently behind him. In a fit of rage, Jake grabbed Sam's shirt, yanking the other man towards him. Sam grimaced, his ribs still sore from the other day.

"Where is she!?" Jake glared at Sam, tightening his grip on his shirt.

"I... I don't know! Last I saw her she was with Shane, same as you." Sam looked legitimately concerned.

"I swear, Sam. If you know anything…"

"I don't, Jake. Honest!"

Suddenly Jake's phone buzzed from his jeans pocket. He loosened his grip on Sam's shirt and shoved him over to Baird while fishing out his phone with his other hand. There was one new text, and it was from Cassie. Jake stared at it, confused for a brief second, but soon realization took over him as he remembered their case over Christmas.

"Is it from Cassandra? What's it say?" Ezekiel asked, wandering away from his small group to see what was going on.

"Joe Blake." Jake smiled slightly. "It says Joe Blake."

"Cassie was taken by a guy named Joe Blake?" Jones asked, confused.

Jake shook his head. "It's Cockney rhyming slang. Snake." he turned to Sam, who was now being held, not as fiercely, by Baird. "Does your brother have a snake tattoo on his arm?"

Sam nodded. "How did you know?" Jake exchanged a worried glance with both Baird and Jones.

"It's the Serpent Brotherhood."


	6. The Serpent Brotherhood

"I know where she is!" Jake wasted no time. He ran off in the direction of the barn, not even looking back when he called out to Baird. "Check the back barn. The unicorn foal should be there. It'll be one of the bays."

Baird was left confused, holding Sam by the arm. "Stone wait! I'm your guardian, I should come with you!"

"No time, Baird." Jake hollered back, far enough away that Baird had to strain to hear him. "You'll only slow me down."

Baird let out a frustrated sigh, glancing between the injured cowboy whose arm she was gripping, and the devious thief who looked just as annoyed to be left out of the action as she was. "And what the hell is a bay anyways?"

"Er…brown." Sam mumbled. "Can you let go of me now?"

Baird shook her head. "Sorry bud, not until I have at least some idea of what's going on." She then dragged Sam off in the direction of the weanlings, a disgruntled Jones -who was sick of Jake getting to do all the fun stuff- following behind.

* * *

Jake ran into the barn and grabbed the first horse he found. Not wanting to waste any time, he threw a halter and leadrope onto the horse and heaved himself up bareback before taking off at top speed into the night.

Although he hadn't mentioned it to the others, Jake wasn't completely confident that he knew where Shane had taken Cassandra. But he had a pretty good hunch and that was better than nothing. He just hoped that he would be able to remember the way. The first time that Jake had ridden these trails he not only had Sam as a guide, but he had also spent the majority of the time watching Cassie. It didn't occur to him that he might have to find his way back out that way, and in the dark no less. At least it was a clear night, the moon shining bright making the trail easy to make out.

Jake was able to make it to the clearing quickly enough. That was the easy part. Making his way back through bush to the same spot he and Cassandra had seen the unicorn the other day was going to prove more difficult, but he was determined.

His pace was a bit slower than the first time (without the stability of a saddle he knew he had to be extra careful to avoid low hanging branches) but Jake still travelled the trail at an incredible speed, bent forward with his hands twisted into the horse's mane, trusting his mount to know where they were going. The ride felt like it took forever, though in reality Jake made it to his destination in record time. When he got his horse stopped Jake glanced all around, but Cassandra was no where in sight.

"Cassandra!" he called out. "Cassie!"

For a moment Jake felt defeated. He had been wrong, Shane hadn't brought Cassandra out here. And now he was far out in the middle of nowhere, he had left his team totally clueless back at the barn, and Cassie was God knows where.

But then Jake saw a man step out from behind a tree in front of him. It was dark, and Jake couldn't make out the man's face, but as soon as he started speaking the Librarian knew who it was.

"I _told_ you this wouldn't work." Dulaque spoke arrogantly to someone Jake couldn't see. "As soon as you take the girl, this one comes riding in like a knight in shining armor."

"Dulaque," Jake gritted his teeth.

"Literally! He is literally riding in. That's new!" Dulaque laughed.

"Where is she?" Jake got straight to the point.

"Don't worry, she's fine." Dulaque nodded to the other person and suddenly Shane appeared from behind a tree, dragging Cassie fiercely by the arm. Jake hopped off his horse, eyes glued to Cassandra the entire time.

"You okay, Cass?"

"I'm fine, Jake," she answered solemnly.

"This one, she's something special, isn't she?" Dulaque asked. "I'm sorry we let her slip away when we did." He walked closer to Cassandra, dragging her away from Shane.

"Don't you dare hurt her," Jake warned.

Dulaque shook his head. "I have no intention of doing such a thing," the older man delicately traced his finger along Cassandra's cheek. Though she appeared to be doing all she could not to look scared, Jake noticed her flinch slightly at the older man's sinister touch. Jake gritted his teeth, his hands forming fists at his sides. "Hurting her, what a waste that would be. Such power, this one."

For his part, Shane had slunk a few steps back, and was almost hiding behind the tree again. He seemed even more afraid of Dulaque than Cassandra did.

"I've been keeping tabs on you little Librarians," Dulaque continued. "You're not much of a threat but I still like to know what you guys are up to. It usually helps to avoid little run ins like this, but sometimes it's unavoidable.

"Of course, sometimes you guys come in handy," he signalled to Cassandra. "Like this one. I couldn't help but notice she has the power to communicate with my unicorn."

"She's not _your_ unicorn," Cassandra cut in, unable to let that one slide.

"No, no. You're right," Dulaque chuckled. "Not yet, at least. We tried to lure her out by stealing that pesky foal of hers, but that proved unhelpful. But you! You have a gift, Cassandra."

"I'm not helping you with anything. Not this time," she glared at him. "I learned my lesson, I know who the good guys are now."

"Such a pity, not even if I ask nicely?"

Jake took a step closer, "She said no." He said, looking from Dulaque to Cassandra and back again.

"Alright, alright. I understand," Dulaque sighed. "I guess you'll just have to die, then."

A sword appeared in Dulaque's hand. Jake had no idea where it came from, the older man must have summoned it using magic because he was sure it hadn't been there before.

Jake didn't have time to react. He was _ready_ to react. He was all set to dive at Cassandra, knocking her out of the way and letting Dulaque stab him instead. He was ready and willing to play hero in this situation, he just didn't have time.

Before Jake could react, before Dulaque could raise his sword, the unicorn appeared. Her ears were pinned straight back against her head, and her teeth were bared. She leapt out from what seemed like nowhere, landing with her front hooves on Dulaque's chest, knocking him to the ground. The sword fell from the man's hand and Cassandra wasted no time. In a split second she kicked the sword in Jake's direction and ran for him.

Jake reached for the sword with one hand, and grabbed Cassandra with the other. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close into a tight hug, happy to have her back safe. "Cassie, are you really okay?" he whispered.

"Yes, Jake," she nodded into his chest. "I'm fine, I'm fine."

Jake didn't let her go, though he loosened his grip and pulled away slightly so that he could see what was going on behind them. Cassandra, too afraid to look, kept her face buried in Jake's shoulder, something he was more than okay with.

Somehow in the madness Dulaque had managed to get back onto his feet, though his clothes were now ripped to shreds and he no longer wore his usual look of confident arrogance. His face was scrapped pretty badly, and an exposed arm appeared bloody and bruised. He ran with a limp towards Shane, one arm desperately clutching his stomach. Jake watched as the unicorn chased the two men deeper into the forest until all three of them were out of sight.

"Hey," he whispered. "It's okay, Cass. They're gone."

Cassandra reluctantly pulled away from Jake, looking around them for the first time since he had grabbed her. "The unicorn... she didn't…"

Jake shook his head. "No, darlin'. She scared them, and busted Dulaque up pretty good, but they're both still alive," he squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "I don't think she ever intended to kill them."

Cassandra offered a weak smile. "I'm sorry, Jake."

He cocked his head at her, confused. "What for?"

"You were right," her eyes were glued to the ground, afraid to meet his gaze. Jake hated to see her so upset. "I got too close, I put myself in danger just like I did the first time."

"Cassie," Jake whispered. The danger now gone, he tossed the sword that he realized he was still holding onto the ground, and then used that hand to gently cup her face, encouraging her to meet his eye. "This is not your fault. If anything, it's because of you that I was able to figure this all out."

"But, how?" she asked quietly, smiling as Jake softly rubbed his thumb across her cheek.

"Sam's dad only bought three weanlings," he started, moving his hand from her face down to her arm. "I suspect Shane's been the one looking after them recently. He must have snuck the unicorn foal into the barn with them."

Cassandra scrunched her forehead in confusion. "But the colours. Didn't you say the foal would most likely be white?"

Jake nodded. "Yes. I don't know for sure, but I have a theory about that." He smiled down at her. "Magic. Unicorns are magical creatures with a strong flight response. It's their instinct to hide however possible."

"Camouflage? Like a chameleon." Cassandra realized.

"I think so. I have a feeling the unicorn foal changed colour to match the other bay weanling they've got. I wouldn't be surprised if it changes back to white once we get it back to its mama."

"Speaking of which," Cassandra started wondering, "how are we going to-"

Almost as if on cue, the unicorn reappeared from out of the trees. She was calmer now, looking much more gentle and approachable. Jake was the first to spot her this time, as she had appeared from behind Cassandra. He smiled, and slowly turned Cassie around so that she could see for herself.

He watched Cassandra as she hesitantly took a few steps away from him, moving closer to the unicorn. When she was within arms' reach the magical creature lowered her head, allowing Cassie to gently stroke its nose. The mare snorted her approval.

"It's okay," Jake heard Cassandra whisper. "We'll bring him back to you. We'll go get him and bring him to the clearing. Everything will be okay."

Cassandra, still stroking the unicorn, glanced over her shoulder at Jake. "It should be safe to go get him. The Serpent Brotherhood are gone, at least for now," she turned her attention back to the mare. "She made sure that they won't mess with her or her family ever again."

"Baird and Jones are keeping an eye on him. They're probably wondering what's going on. I ran off as soon as I got your text," Jake paused, realizing something. "Cassie, how did you know I would be able to find you?"

Cassandra finally tore herself away from the unicorn, slowly closing the distance between the two of them. "I didn't, not really. But I hoped," she looked deep into his eyes. "You've always been able to see the bigger picture, Jake. Every time I've thrown little pieces of the puzzle at you, you've always pulled through and put them together for me. If anyone was going to be able to find me, I knew it was going to be you."

Jake was speechless. He couldn't understand how after everything, after how he had treated her that week, how he had been treating her since they joined the library, she was still so willing to place so much trust into him. Cassandra trusted Jake with her life, and he was so envious that such a thing came so easily to her.

"Cass, I…" he hesitated, unsure of how to continue. Slowly, he reached down and took her hand. "We should be getting back, we still have to reunite that baby with its mama."

Maybe one day he would be able to find the right words to express to her how he felt. Maybe one day he would be able to understand it himself. But right now he just couldn't.

**A/N: For anyone who's wondering, I never really paid attention to where in the show's timeline this story would take place. But with the arrival of Dulaque let's just say it's sometime before And the Loom of Fate, possibly existing in its own slight AU where And the Loom of Fate never happens? If that makes any sense.**


	7. The Reunion

**A/N - Thank you guys so much for the support on this story! It means so much to me that there are people enjoying it. This particular mission is almost coming to a close. There will be an epilogue after this chapter to wrap things up. The overall arc of the main characters will continue on into a sequel, though. So don't worry, even though this case is coming to an end, there will be more adventures within this particular version of the universe. **

The party was pretty much over when Jake and Cassandra finally made it back. After quickly running to the main barn to return the horse Jake had borrowed, the two Librarians met the rest of their team in the spare barn where the weanlings were being kept.

"Could someone _please_ tell me what's going on?" Baird pleaded after she was assured that Cassandra was in one piece.

"It was the Serpent Brotherhood this whole time," Jake started. "They captured the weanling hoping to use it as bait so that they could get their hands on the unicorn."

Baird turned to Sam, whom they had locked in a nearby stall. "Did you have any idea of the kind of people your brother was hanging around with?"

"Honestly, I didn't," Sam shook his head. "Shane and I have never been all that close, you know? I mean, we get along just fine. He's my brother, I love him, but we aren't really big on the whole sharing thing."

Surprising everyone, Jake nodded understandingly. "Yeah, I hear ya," he said solemnly. "I'm sorry you got caught up in all this."

"Not to interrupt this touching moment but I'm still confused," Jones cut in. "How does Cassandra fit into all this? Why kidnap her?"

"Because they knew I could communicate with the unicorn," Cassandra answered softly. "I don't know how, but they knew."

"Dulaque said he's been keeping tabs on us," Jake said with disgust. "I don't always know how that guy gets his information, but I'm not really surprised he knew."

"What's so special about the unicorn, anyways?" Baird asked. "I mean, besides the fact that it's a..._unicorn_. Wow, still can't believe the things I can say with a straight face these days."

"It's the horn," Cassandra answered. "They want her for her horn. Apparently unicorn horns are supposed to be an extremely powerful way to harness magical energy from the ley lines."

"Well, I don't think we need to worry about Dulaque getting his hands on one anytime soon," Jake smirked. "He was roughed up pretty good. I don't think he'll be trying that plan again."

"I have a question," Sam piped up, his good hand gripping the bars on the stall he was locked in. "You guys think you can let me outta here?"

"That depends," Ezekiel said. "You claim not to be involved in this whole thing, but that unicorn still attacked you. Why would it do that unless you were hiding something?"

Cassandra rolled her eyes and walked over to the stall that Sam was locked in. "Guys, it's fine. He's not involved," she muttered as she unlocked the gate. The rest of the team just stared at her, slightly shocked, but willing to take her word for it.

Sam stepped out of the stall, smiling as he tipped his cowboy at at Cassandra. "Thank you," he turned to the others. "Now if you guys will excuse me, I should probably go tell my dad that we won't be seeing Shane around for awhile."

"Are you sure that was a good idea, Cassandra?" Baird asked after Sam left.

"Trust me, it's fine. Remember what Jenkins said? Unicorns normally only reveal themselves to those pure of heart," The team nodded. "It didn't attack Sam because he helped steal the weanling. It attacked him because he's an ass!"

"Wait, what?" Jake asked, torn between feeling slightly amused at Cassie's language, and pissed off at Sam doing anything that could have made Cassandra uncomfortable.

"You should have heard the way he was talking to me while we were dancing. If we didn't need him for information I would have punched that jerk in the face hours ago."

Jake was laughing now, the image of Cassandra punching Sam was exactly what he needed after the week he had been having. And knowing her, he wouldn't be surprised if she could swing a good punch.

"And on that note, we'd better get this little guy back to his mama," Jake said between laughter. "C'mon Cassie, the unicorn's probably wondering what's taking so long."

"Er, just one problem, mate," Jones cut in. "We still don't know which one of these is the unicorn foal."

Jake made his way over to where Jones was standing, and eyed the two identical foals. "Well, it's uh...obviously it's that...I've got nothin'," he turned to Cassandra. "I don't suppose the unicorn told you which weanling to bring?"

Cassandra shook her head, walking over to the two boys. "No...but maybe...just let me try something," she placed a hand on the forehead of one of the bays and closed her eyes.

"What are you-" Jones tried to ask, but was cut off by Cassandra shushing him. She kept her eyes closed, hand on the foal for a moment before doing the same thing with the second foal.

"It's this one," she whispered, a smile creeping onto her lips. "This is the one we want."

Jake smiled proudly. He had no idea what was going on, but he loved watching Cassandra work her magic.

* * *

"So how'd you do it?" Jake asked as he and Cassandra walked along the darkened trail. The team had decided it was best for the two to return the foal alone, since the unicorn was already familiar with them.

"It was sort of like when the unicorn spoke to me the other day, but the communication wasn't as strong," she answered. "I don't know if it's because this little guy didn't know how to talk to me, or if he just didn't know he could trust me, but I had to be touching him for it to work."

"How did you learn how to do that?"

Cassandra shrugged. "I uh...I saw it in a movie once," she smiled sheepishly. "I took a shot, I got lucky."

Jake couldn't help but chuckle as they approached the clearing. Cassandra wasn't even aware of how magical she was. She thought everything good that happened to her was just "luck." It never would have occurred to her that she was just that smart, just that clever, just that…_beautiful. _Jake caught himself as that thought crossed his mind, suddenly realizing what Baird had been trying to tell him days earlier…

"She's here," Cassandra's whisper coaxed Jake out of his thoughts and he turned his attention from the redhead to the unicorn who was standing off in the distance in front of them.

"Time to say goodbye, I guess," Jake said, turning to the young foal he had been leading. "Your mama's been worried about you, little guy."

"Try and stay out of trouble from now on," Cassandra smiled as she stroked the foal's neck. "He's pretty anxious to get going."

Jake looked at the foal who was standing calmly between the two Librarians. Anyone would look at him and assume he was perfectly happy where he was. But of course, Cassandra was probably having her own secret conversation with him. So, Jake just nodded and slid the halter off over the weanling's head. Instantly the little colt bounded forward and ran towards his dam.

Jake and Cassandra watched as the mother and son were reunited. As the foal approached her, the adult unicorn let out a series of deep, soft grunts and instantly started to nuzzle her colt.

"That's a sound mares make around their babies," Jake grinned. "You know a mare can go years without seeing her foal and yet she can still recognize him if they're reunited? I've seen mares do that very thing to their full grown youngin's." Jake gestured to the scene in front of them as he explained. Cassandra couldn't help but smile as he fell back into cowboy mode.

"Have you ever seen a foal do _that_?" Cassandra gasped and Jake turned his attention back to the reunion.

It was happening very gradually. So gradually that it was hard for Jake to tell if anything was actually changing as he stared. But at the same time, it was happening quickly enough that if you blinked, you could definitely notice a change in the foal's coat colour. The colt was slowly changing back from from his deep bay disguise to his natural, brighter than white coat colour.

The foal had changed completely to white when Jake reached over and placed a hand on Cassandra's shoulder to gently get her attention. "We should probably go. I'm starting to feel like we're intrudin'."

Cassandra nodded and the two of them started to turn to leave when suddenly the redhead stopped. "No, wait…" she turned back to the unicorn and smiled. "She wants to say goodbye."

Jake watched, a proud smile on his face, as Cassandra once again slowly approached the unicorn, just as she had done the other day. He wasn't close enough to hear exactly what was being said, but he could hear her mumble softly as she gently stroked the mare's face.

Jake had hung back, this was Cassandra's moment. She and the unicorn had developed a special bond and Jake couldn't help but feel special that he was allowed to witness such a thing. It never even occurred to him to approach the magical creature in front of him until Cassandra turned around and waved him over. Confused, Jake took a few hesitant steps forward, and continued that pace until he was standing just a step behind Cassie.

"It's okay, Jake," Cassandra grinned up at him. "She wants to thank you."

"Me?" he asked, looking first at Cassie and then at the unicorn. "But...why?"

"What do you mean, Why?" Cassandra asked, more playfully than confused. "Jake, you're the hero in all this. You figured out who had her baby. You found me when the Serpent Brotherhood kidnapped me. We never would have figured this case out if it wasn't for you."

Jake shrugged, but took another step forward and gently placed a hand on the unicorn's neck. As soon as he reached out and touched the mare his mind was filled with images.

He saw himself just a few hours earlier, standing in the woods. Dulaque had Cassandra, the sword was in his hand. This time, however, Jake actually did interfere. He saw himself dive forward pushing Cassie out of the way, and land in a heap as Dulaque's sword drove into his back.

These images lasted only a split second as Jake quickly pulled his hand away from the unicorn's neck and stared at her in awe. "Whoa," he gasped as he took a step back.

"She talked to you, didn't she?"

"I uh...I think so. But I don't understand what she's trying to say," Jake mumbled as he reapproached the mare, touching her neck once again. "I'm sorry, girl. Can we try that again?"

Once again Jake's mind taken over and flooded with the same images that he didn't put there. He tried to make sense of what importance the unicorn was showing him, but his brain didn't work that way. Confused, he turned to Cassandra, wondering if she knew what was going on.

"She wants you to know that she knows what you did. She knows what you would have done. And she is so, incredibly grateful," Cassandra helped. "But she also doesn't want to to be so reckless next time."

"How did you-" Jake started, wondering if Cassandra was getting the same projection of images that he was.

"She asked me to translate for you. I don't know what she showed you, but that's what she was trying to say," she interrupted, already knowing what Jake was going to ask.

Jake smiled and turned his attention back to the unicorn. "And thank _you_. Thank you for saving Cassandra," he hesitated for a second and then added in a deep whisper "and thank you for saving me."


	8. Epilogue

**A/N - Thank you everyone for your support during this story. This was the first multi-chapter fic I ever attempted and I had a lot of fun writing it. Keep an eye out for the sequel soon!**

It was late when the team (minus Ezekiel) stumbled back into the annex. Baird had waited to make sure Jake and Cassandra made it back safely, but she had allowed Jones to take off early simply because she couldn't stand to listen to his whining any longer. For someone who wasn't a fan of working, he sure seemed upset that he had been left out of the tougher aspects of their most recent mission.

"Oh good, the rest of you returned in one piece," Jenkins greeted them dryly from across the room. "I was worried I was going to be stuck working alone with the thief from now on."

"Nice to see you too, Jenkins," Baird said as she gathered some things from her desk. "I don't mean to save the world and run, but I just spent way too many hours keeping Jones from pickpocketing every guest at that party and I'm exhausted. I'll see you guys on Monday." The remaining three watched as the Guardian practically flew out of the room.

"Save the world and run?" Jake muttered and turned to Jenkins. "Cassandra and I did all the work!"

"You should have seen him, Jake was amazing!" Cassandra gushed.

"I was, wasn't I?" Jake grinned, turning his attention back to Jenkins. "But I was nothing compared to Cassandra. She kept her cool the entire time. Even after Dulaque kidnapped and threatened to kill her."

"You saw Dulaque?" Jenkins' curiosity was peaked. "The Serpent Brotherhood was behind this?" Both Jake and Cassandra nodded, Jake slowly and Cassandra quite eagerly.

"One of the Donahue sons is a member," Jake explained. "But I wouldn't worry. The unicorn scared them off." He chuckled, remembering how Dulaque looked running away from the mare.

"Oh no, Mr. Stone. Just the opposite. There is plenty to worry about," The older man warned. "I assume they were after the unicorn's horn, then?"

"That's what we think," Cassandra agreed.

"Then we must ask ourselves, what do they have planned that requires such an intense magical focus?" Jenkins asked the younger Librarians.

Jake and Cassandra exchanged worried looks.

"And since they weren't able to get their hands on the horn, what are they going to try to use instead?"

"An excellent thought, Miss Cillian," Jenkins nodded in agreement. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to bed. I want to be able to get up early enough tomorrow to try and figure out Dulaque's latest plan. Turn the lights off on your way out, and _please_ don't stay too long."

"I should probably be getting home," Cassandra said once Jenkins had left. "It's pretty late."

"Cassandra, wait," Jake reached out and gently grabbed her shoulder to stop Cassie from leaving. "I, uh...I think we should uh...talk. You know, about how I've been actin' this week."

Cassandra looked confused. "I thought we already talked about that."

"No, darlin'. We talked around it," Jake started. "But I...I realized something tonight and I think it's something we need to talk about."

"Okay," Cassandra nodded. "What is it? You sound serious."

Jake took Cassandra's hand and lead her to the large staircase. He took a seat and she followed suit, sitting down next to him.

"You see, the things is…At least, I think, uh..." Jake hesitated, trying to find the right words. The truth was, he wasn't entirely sure what it was he was trying to say in the first place. "When you were going off with Sam, chattin' him up, uh dancin' with him...I know it was just for the case. I knew that, but I still couldn't help but feel…"

"Jake?" Cassandra encouraged, squeezing the hand that he hadn't yet let go of.

"Well, I think I was jealous," Jake finally admitted, eyes glued to his feet.

"Jealous? Of Sam?"

Nodding, Jake took a deep breath before continuing. "I know it's ridiculous. I have no right to feel this way. After all, I pushed you away when we first met and have been keeping you at arm's length ever since," he finally glanced up and looked Cassandra in the eye. "But dammit, Cas! You got under my skin and I just don't know what to do with myself anymore."

To his surprise, Cassandra nodded. "I actually know exactly how you feel. It's the same way I felt about you and Mabel."

"Wait, what?" Jake looked at her in shock. "You were jealous of Mabel!?"

His mind frantically tried to remember their time in Collins Falls, tried to remember how Cassandra had acted during that case. But as hard as he tried, the only memories he had were of the time he spent with Mabel, the most prominent of all being when he held her lifeless body in his arms…

"I guess I was kind of wrapped up in her, huh?" he admitted.

"You two had a lot in common," Cassandra nodded. "I understood that. But I couldn't help but feel a little jealous at just how easy you trusted her."

"See, that's just it, Cassie," Jake looked down again, focusing on their clasped hands. "Every time I try and share myself with someone, I get hurt. I know it's not intentional, but even now, it's still very hard for me to open up to someone."

"Jake, it's okay," Cassandra whispered.

"No, it's not," Jake paused for a moment and when he finally looked back at Cassandra she could see that he looked close to tears. "Cassie, I _do_ trust you. I trust you with my life, and of everyone in this Library...hell, of everyone in my life, you're the one I trust the most."

She smiled at that, the sight of which sent shivers down Jake's spine. He wasn't sure how he was going to get through this conversation.

"But like I said before, Cass. I have my own issues to work out. Issues that don't have anything to do with you, despite how hard I tried to blame you for them when we first met…" he hesitated. "I'm just not sure how ready-"

Cassandra had placed a hand on his cheek, distracting him long enough that he had forgotten what he was trying to say. Before Jake knew what was happening, Cassandra was leaning in. He found himself automatically shifting forward to meet her halfway and suddenly their lips met in an all too brief kiss.

"It's okay, Jake. I'm not expecting anything here," Cassandra assured him after they pulled away.

"I want to, you know. I want to be able to open myself up to someone, and I want you to be that someone," he smiled just slightly. "I just don't think it's fair to ask you to wait for me."

"You don't have to ask, Jake," Cassandra whispered, and he felt his heart skip a beat. "I'm here, whenever you're ready. I'm not going anywhere."

"You and I both know that you can't guarantee that," Jake sighed. He felt awful bringing the subject up, but Cassie didn't seem bothered.

"And you and I both know how stubborn I can be, Jake. I have every intention of sticking around long enough for you to get things sorted out," she paused for a brief second. "And who knows. There's always magic."

Jake chuckled. He knew deep down that she didn't have any control over how much time she had left, but if anyone out there could defeat a brain grape using nothing but stubbornness, Cassandra could.

"Well, like I said, I can't ask you to wait for me to come to my senses," he lifted the hand he was still holding and gently kissed the top of it. "But I suppose I ain't gonna try and stop ya if you're going to insist."

Cassandra smiled proudly at that, and Jake had a feeling that she wouldn't have to wait long. He got up off the stairs and pulled the redhead to her feet, fully intending to hold her hand for as long as he could get away with it. Together they walked, hand in hand, out of the annex, pausing only briefly so that Jake could flick the lights off. The last thing they needed was another item on the list of things Jenkins could complain about.


End file.
